SINGAPORE: Five MRT stations along the North-South Line (NSL) will be closed for three days in May in a staggered manner to facilitate the construction of the new Canberra Station, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on Monday (Apr 8) in a news release.

The closure involving Admiralty, Sembawang, Yishun, Khatib and Yio Chu Kang stations is scheduled over the Vesak Day long weekend between May 18 and May 20.

On May 18 and 19, Admiralty and Sembawang stations will be closed to facilitate the removal of existing tracks and installation of the new crossover track, LTA said.

On May 20, all five stations will be closed to carry out testing and commissioning of the signalling software for the newly installed track sectors.

Train services are expected to resume their normal schedules on May 21, LTA added.

Canberra station will be the first station in Singapore to have an above-ground direct entry to a train platform. This will be for city-bound trains.

With 75 per cent of construction complete, LTA said the next step involves connecting the two existing tracks to and from Canberra station with a new 72m crossover track.

LTA said this "will enhance the resilience of the North-South Line" by allowing trains to cross from one track to another.

"If the northbound taxi is faulty, affected trains can use the crossover to bypass the faulty stretch by travelling on the southbound track. This allows train service for both directions to remain available."

During the planned closures, LTA will provide shuttle bus services between Woodlands and Yishun stations on May 18 and 19, and between Woodlands and Ang Mo Kio stations on May 20.

Concurrently, an express bus service will be provided between Woodlands and Bukit Panjang stations over the three days.

Canberra station is scheduled to be operational in the fourth quarter of this year, LTA said.